Dimitris Kouimtsidis
CO2 emissions in Spain have decreased by over a third in April, registering one of the highest drops in the world.
Worldwide, the drop in CO2 emissions registered was at 26%, with Spain however reaching as high as 32%.
Joeri Rogel, researcher at Imperial College told El Mundo: “Emissions fell on average between 20% and 30% in both developed and developing countries.”
According to the scientific journal Nature Climate Change, 17 million fewer tonnes were released into the atmosphere on April 7 alone, compared to the same day in 2019.
During the first days of April, the pollution levels fell to lows that hadn’t been seen since 2006.
Although that is a notable reduction, the experts do not believe it’s significant enough to make a difference to the atmosphere long-term.
“None of this is good news for anyone as it won’t make any significant difference in the long-term”, said Rogel.
“It is the result of the massive economic disruption caused by the pandemic and the measures taken to contain it,” he added.
In fact the report concludes with the warning that it’s highly likely that there will be a rebound with an even greater emissions trajectory.
Based on the assumption that the world largely returns to normal by the end of June, then the decrease in emissions by the end of the year will be at 4%.
